Just over a year after Justice Neil Gorsuch was confirmed to fill the late Antonin Scalia’s seat on the United States Supreme Court, President Trump has tapped the second SCOTUS nominee of his first term.

President Trump’s has nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to succeed Anthony Kennedy, who has sat on the court since being nominated by Ronald Reagan and confirmed in 1988. Since his July 9th nomination, Kavanaugh has received universal support from major gun rights organizations, including the National Rifle Association (NRA), Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), Gun Owners of America (GOA), and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).

In their statement, the NRA said that “President Trump has made another outstanding choice in nominating Brett Kavanaugh for the U.S. Supreme Court. He has an impressive record that demonstrates his strong support for the Second Amendment.” The statement also referenced Kavanaugh’s strong dissenting opinion in opposition to Washington, D.C.’s ban on commonly owned semi-automatic firearms and their registration requirement which, consistent with Justice Scalia’s opinion in Heller. NRA’s Chris Cox continued, “Judge Kavanaugh has demonstrated his clear belief that the Constitution should be applied as the Framers intended.”

In a separate statement, NRA said that “Judge Brett Kavanaugh has earned NRA members’ support.” In this statement, the gun-rights organization goes into additional details on the nominee’s Second Amendment history.

SAF likewise applauded Kavanaugh’s nomination for the SCOTUS seat, saying “We’re encouraged by this nomination because by adding Judge Kavanaugh, we might see the high court become more willing to accept and rule on important Second Amendment issues, such as right-to-carry.” Second Amendment Founder and Executive VP, Alan Gottlieb, noted that “the Supreme Court has twice affirmed in the last ten years that the Second Amendment protects a fundamental, individual right to keep a firearm for home defense, but the court has yet to even begin defining the right to bear arms outside of the home or business, in public.” Gottlieb says that he hopes that Kavanaugh’s nomination would be “quickly affirmed by the Senate.”

On the topic of Senate confirmation, one potential hold-out that may have stymied Kavanaugh’s progress to Kennedy’s vacant SCOTUS seat, Rand Paul, yesterday got on board with the President’s nomination, saying that “his strong defenses of the First and Second Amendments in landmark cases show someone who isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo and will fight with backbone.” Paul concluded, “Judge Kavanaugh will have my support and my vote to confirm him to the Supreme Court.” Continue reading →

The 147th NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits (NRAAM) begins its four-day run today at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas, with exhibits running Friday, May 4 through Sunday, May 6.

More than 80,000 attendees are expected to turn out to visit with over 800 exhibitors from the shooting and hunting industries. The exhibits aren’t the only draw, however, with numerous other events on the schedule, including seminars, banquets, musical performances, the annual meeting of members, and the Leadership Forum featuring speakers such as President Donald J. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Ted Cruz, Benghazi survivor Mark Geist, Dana Loesch, social media hotshots Diamond & Silk, as well as many others.

The NRAAM is free to all NRA members and their families (including spouses and children under 18 years old), although there are paid ticketed events, so be sure to check the schedule for details of specific events.

Firearm Policy at NRAAM

A perennial question surrounding the NRA show is whether or not attendees can carry their personal firearms at the show, either openly or concealed. The NRAAM website states that “During the 2018 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits, lawfully carried firearms will be permitted in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and the Omni Dallas Hotel in accordance with Texas law. When carrying your firearm remember to follow all federal, state, and local laws.”

So, yes, you can carry your firearm, BUT… Due to the attendance POTUS and VPOTUS at the NRA-ILA Leadership Conference, the U.S. Secret Service will be responsible for event security at this portion of the event in the Arena at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. As such, firearms and firearm accessories, knives or weapons of any kind will be prohibited in the Forum prior to and during his attendance. For more details, check out the Secret Service notice. Continue reading →

President Trump to NRA Members: “You came through for me, and I am going to come through for you.”

The drumbeat of fake news continues as the elites disappointed by the 2016 election dedicate themselves to “resisting” the Trump administration.

Among their many false narratives is that Americans are no longer interested in firearms now that Barack Obama is out of the White House.

At least two big groups of people didn’t get that memo.

One is comprised of the 2,045,564 Americans who were queried through the FBI’s firearm background check database in April 2017. This was the second busiest April ever for that system. In fact, each month of Trump’s presidency has seen over two million firearm-related background checks. Only in 2016, when Americans faced losing their Second Amendment rights forever, did the FBI run more checks during a January to April period.

The other group included the nearly 82,000 people who attended the NRA’s Annual Meetings and Exhibits in Atlanta, Georgia in late April. This was our second-highest total of attendees ever. Fifteen acres of guns and gear on display at the Georgia World Congress Center said all that needed to be said about the vitality of America’s firearms industry.

But those weren’t the only encouraging signs that greeted the NRA’s extended family reunion in the Peach State. Our Annual Leadership Forum drew an impressive line-up of speakers. Besides three sitting U.S. Senators (Georgia’s David Purdue, Alabama’s Luther Strange, and Texas’ Ted Cruz), we heard from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Florida Governor Rick Scott. Lt. Col. Allen West and Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke provided a distinguished presence from the uniformed ranks. And rounding out the guest list were Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, former Major League Baseball great Adam LaRoche, and campus carry advocate Antonia Okafor. Continue reading →

The NRA-ILA is helping to spread the word about Americans’ opportunity to shape the direction of the 2016 Presidential Debates.

The Open Debate Coalition website allows users to vote for questions that are important to them and ABC and CNN debate moderators have agreed to consider the top 30 questions as chosen by voters for use in the Sunday, October 9, debate.

One of those questions, posed by Tim S., is gaining ground with nearly 20,000 votes. Tim’s question reads “How will you ensure the 2nd amendment is protected?“. The question follows up by noting that “[t]oo much crime is blamed on the tool, not the person. How will you protect law abiding citizens to protect themselves.“

If you watched the first debate between Presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, you may have thought that the debate was a little lopsided in what many considered to be a 2-on-1 tag team match against one candidate. This is the American people’s opportunity to have the candidates get to the point and talk about what matters.

VOTE NOW to take the Second Amendment question to the debate stage next Sunday and see where the candidates stand. One candidate’s name is already on one of the most egregious abrogations of the constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. The other candidate’s official 2A platform plans to “defend the Second Amendment of our Constitution“, saying that “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed upon. Period.” Trump’s specific plan includes “nominate United States Supreme Court justices that will abide by the rule of law and the Constitution of the United States,” “enforce the laws on the books,” “empower law-abiding gun owners to defend themselves,” and “defend the rights of law-abiding gun owners.”